Ingot casting machine



July 7, 1959 M. GERSTER ,0

"meow CASTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 16, 1956 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 34 E 33 INVENTOR. MAX GERSTER y 7; 1959 M. GERSTER $893,081

' INGOT CASTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 16, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 23 --62 1253 1 gfi E -50 50: R f

INVEN TOR. MAX GERSTEK United States Patent moor CASTING MACHINE Max Gerster, Sierre, Switzerland, assignor to Aluminium- Industrie-Aktien-Gesellschaft, Chippis, Switzerland, 1 a corporation of Switzerland The present invention relates to ingot or pig casting machines, and relates more particularly to a machine for casting light metal ingots and alloys. Still more particularly, it relates to a multiple pig mold arrangement for a pig casting machine for light metal castings.

It is an object of the present invention to reduce the space taken by such machines.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a casting machine having stationary forms.

- It is also an object of the present invention to reduce the wear of the pig casting machine and the maintenance costs thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings showing, by way of example, an embodiment of an ingot casting machine according to the present invention. In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a plan view of an ingot or pig casting machine according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a large scale side elevational view of a part of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a large scale vertical sectional view of a part of the machine shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of a detail shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

. Referring now to the drawings and first to Figs. 1 and 2, the instant casting machine comprises a plurality of, for, instance, six multiple molds, each multiple mold having five individual molds 1 the multiple mold on the right side of Fig. 1 being placed in the upper part of a water container 2 (Fig. 3), whereas in the next group only the water containers are shown, the molds having been removed from the same.

.Molten metal M is poured from a casting ladle or castingzpot'S into one end 9 of a spout or pouring channel 4 arranged for an oscillating motion indicated by the arrows shown in Fig. 1. The molten metal is directed by the spout 4 provided at the front end thereof with an outlet 5, to the molds 1. arranged along a circular are A havingthe center C thereof coinciding with the inlet end 9 of the' spout 4.

The water containers 2 form squares as seen in plan view in Fig. l, and are arranged in such a manner that the longitudinal axis B of the individual center mold 1 of each multiple mold passes through the center C of the circular are A. The molds 1 are charged and filled one after the other.

When the spout 4 is swung from one mold 1 to the next mold preferably a bent metal sheet (not shown) is applied to the rim of the molds turning towards the jet of molten metal so that no metal may strike the rim. When the spout 4 is laterally swung from one group of molds or from one water container 2 to the next one, the flow of metal is temporarily interrupted by lifting the spout 4 until the latter is in a position above the first mold of the next container 2.

In order to accomplish this procedure the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 is provided. The inlet end 9 of the spout 4 is hingedly connected by the hinge 30 to the top of a rotatable column 31 having a bottom being rotatable about the center 32 of a stationary holder 33 inserted into the ground 34. Two arms 35 and 36 are connected to the column 31 and carry at the other end a sleeve 37 in which a rod 38 is located; the sleeve 37 may be rigidly connected to the rod 38 by a clamping-screw 37. The rod 38 carries atits upper end a fork 39 which carries the spout 4. A rod 41 is hinged to the spout 4 at 40, near the rod 38. The rod 41 is hinged at 42 to a lever arm 7, and the lever arm 7 is'connected by a hinge 43 to the lower end of the sleeve 37. A counterweight 6 is adjustably arranged on the other end of the lever arm 7 so that practically no exertion of a manual force is needed for lifting the spout and the outlet 5 thereof so as to interrupt the flow of molten metal through the spout 4. In the embodiment shown the spout 4 is provided with a cover 8 containing a heating element (not shown) for heating the metal flowing from the ladle 3 through the spout 4.

Referring now to Fig. 3 of the drawings, each of the multiple molds is supported with its marginal portions such as 43 thereof on a flange 44 forming the upper rim of the water container 2. The chamber or compartment 10 forming the upper part of the water container 2 is filled with water to a level being somewhat below the altitude of the pipes or sleeves or bushings 11 so that no water may enter the space 12 below the horizontal wall 12a of the container 2. Each individual mold 1 has a deep portion 16a and two opposite shallow portions 16b; in the shallow portions 16b there will be formed ears 16 on the casting. The shallow portions 16b will at all times be above the water level of the water compartment 10. In the space 12 there is disposed the driving mechanism for the ejection rods or plungers or bolts 13 guided in the pipes 11 and bearing through bores 13a in the mold 1 on the ingot as arranged. This driving mechanism comprises a frame 14 which is lifted by a plunger 45 displaceable in a cylinder 15 which is connected by a pipe 46 with a pressure valve 17 arranged at the outside of the container 2. When compressed air is admitted through the valve 17 and the pipe 46 into the cylinder 15 the plunger or piston 45 is lifted and carries with it the frame 14 having a part 49 which actuates the plungers 13 lifting the pig in the mold 1 by the ears 16 out of the mold. The frame 14 is guided vertically by a plurality of rods 48 guided in guiding tubes 18 so that the frame 14 is lifted in a horizontal position. It will be understood that the plungers 13 operate without a gland and may be easily exchanged by withdrawing them from the pipes 11 at the upper ends thereof. Furthermore, the plungers 13 may be provided at the heads 50 thereof with engraved signs which are transferred to the ears 16 of the pig, the engravedsigns containing, for instance, the number of the batch of ingots. The heads 50 of the plungers 13 may be exchangeable. An inlet 19 of a pipe 57 for cooling water is provided with a plate 20 attached to it and preventing a direct splashing of water on the part of the bottom of the mold being arranged above the plate 20 so that the latter has the effect of a distributor. The cooling water is withdrawn by letting it flow over overflow edges 21 forming part of the drainage pipes 22.

Referring now to Fig. 4 of the drawings, there is illustrated a multiple mold, and in Fig. 4 only two individual molds 1 are shown. The walls such as 62 arranged between two consecutive molds 1 are connected with a runover channel 23 having a depth of 1 centimeter, for example, the wall 62 and the overflows 23 between the same being shown in a side view in dotted lines in Fig. 4. This permits lifting of the entire multiple pig out of the multiple mold; by breaking and overflow bridges, the multiple pig may then be broken up into the individual was i 1 Thus it is seen that the molds are arranged in groups, forinstance five or ten molds 1 which are arranged in fron'tof the ladle 3' along a circular arc in stationary water containers 2 so that the longitudinal axis of the central mold passes through the center of rotation of the spout 4'. The spout 4 is swingable in a horizontal direction so as to enable the filling of the molds. Furthermore, the spout is swingable-upwards and downwards so that it may be tilted upwardly after filling one group of molds before it engages the next one; The molds forming. one group are arranged in a common water container with their marginal portions on the upper rim of it' so that the lowermost parts of the molds; dip into the water and thus are cooled. Belowea'ch mold there are arranged the ejecting bolts 13 by means of which the sufliciently solidified pigs can be removed from the molds.

The new ingot casting machine has various advantages over the" known ones. Itrequires very little space. The molds do not need to be moved, so that the design of the machine is considerably simpler than that of the known machines. In consequence thereof also wear and maintenance-work are reduced. During casting, only the pouring channel 4 is moved in addition to a slow tilting movement of the casting ladle or the pouring pot 3 and the movements of the ejector device. The operator need not stand between the melting furnace or the pouring pot and the molds. The molds may be replaced in a very simple way and in a very short time;,on needs only to lift them from the water-container and to replace them by others to be placed on the watercontainer.

The molds are suitably of such proportions and arranged in such a way that the cast ingots form a quadrangle, which is advantageous for piling them up, because normally they are piled up cross-wise. The quadrangle of one group of cast ingots forms a full pile layer.

Advantageously the pouring channel 4 is balanced by means of the counterbalance 6 so that its pouring end can be lifted easily without any great efiort.

It is further of advantage to provide the pigs or ingots with two ears 16, in the known manner, making it possible to pile up the ingots with the aid of a litter. A further improvement of the casting machine is possible arranging the ejector-bolts 13 beneath the ears 16 of the ingot. This arrangement ofiers the following advantages: stufling-boxes are unnecessary since the water surface does not reach the cars 16. In the ears the metal solidifies rather quickly, so that there is practically no danger of liquid metal flowing beneath the head of the ejector-bolt 13 between the bolt 13 and the bore 1311; the ingot may be ejected at an earlier moment, without th'e danger of'piercing' the ingot which has not yet solidified sufficiently in the interior.

According to a further improvement of the invention, the molds within a group of molds are connected with little run-over channels 23, which hold the ingots together, but may be easily broken if the ingots have to be separated.

Although the invention has been described hereinabove in connection with special embodiments of an ingot casting machine, it should be understood that various modifications and changes thereof are to be considered as falling within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

A multiple pig. mold arrangement, for use in connection with a pig casting machine for light metals, comprising a multiple mold having a series of substantially parallel elongated individual pig molds, each individual mold having. two shallowend portions and therebetween a deep portion for the casting of correspondingly elongated pigs having deep and shallow portions, a support for said. multiple mold comprising a container defining a water compartment open on top adapted to contain water up to a predetermined level, means connected to said container operable for flowing water into and out of said water compartment including overflow means determining the aforesaid level of the water, said multiple mold being supported removably on said container above said water compartment with the deep portion of each individual mold adapted to protrude downwardly through said open top to a depth below the level of the water in said compartment and the shallow portions of each individual mold adapted to be disposed at all times above the water level, and pig ejecting means connected to said support and operable to abut from below against the underside of the shallow portions of each pig in each individual mold for exerting lifting pressure from below thereagainst.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 371,907 Wilson Oct. 18, 1887 472,436 Cornelius Apr. 5, 1892 669,696 Herreshofi Mar. 12, 1901 735,303 Sauveur Aug. 4. 1903 878,102 Walker Feb. 4, 1908 992,853 Clark May 23, 1911 1,012,829 Engel Dec. 26, 1911 1,044,425 Sheehan Nov. 12, 1912 1,316,471 Acton et a1. Sept. 16, 1919 1,484,222 Kightlinger Feb. 19, 1924 1,666,910 Poske Apr. 24, 1928 2,169,885 Jung Aug. 15, 1939 2,439,875 Steudel Apr. 20, 1948 2,586,843 McDonald Feb. 26, 1952 2,635,310 Morgan -2. Apr. 21, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,367 Great Britain 011883 

